


The One Where Vecchio and Stella Talk about Playing Guitar

by ifreet



Category: due South
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-22
Updated: 2010-05-22
Packaged: 2017-10-15 01:03:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/155391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ifreet/pseuds/ifreet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt/title by Lucifuge_5</p>
            </blockquote>





	The One Where Vecchio and Stella Talk about Playing Guitar

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Lucifuge5](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucifuge5/gifts).



During the hottest part of the day, when the sun threatened to burn Stella's fair skin in bare minutes, they wandered the small stores scattered behind the beach houses and hotels. They made an eclectic mix -- high end boutiques stood beside second-hand paperback stores next to local artisan collectives. Ray couldn't guess from the exterior what they'd find when he pulled open the door for her.

In one of the second-hand shops, something grabbed Stella's attention midword to Ray. Her breath caught, and her expression went wide-open, excited, happy before she smoothed it back into her usual public reserve.

"What?" he asked looking to his side, trying to spot whatever she'd seen.

"Nothing," she said, then she shrugged and told him anyway. "I just had a Gibson like that once."

His eyes flickered across the nearest shelves of odds and ends. Oh, the electric guitar. He lifted it free of the surrounding junk and clear of the wooden buoy lying in front of it. "You did?" She took the guitar from him with a soft, almost fond smile. She ran her hands over it, checking it for Ray-didn't-know-what, almost unconsciously testing the tuning with her thumb. "Is it a good guitar?"

"Yes," she said quickly, almost defensively, then shook her head. "Well, sort of. It's not a collectible, anything like that. But it was a good guitar." She set it back down almost wistfully.

"I didn't even know you play."

"I don't, not anymore. When would I have time?"

"Then let's make time. We'll retire, move down here." As soon as he said it, he could almost see it. The two of them in Florida, to stay. "We'll live on the beach. You can play guitar, and I'll learn to fish or something." His thoughts strayed to the frustrating limited local entertainment options. "Open a bowling alley."

She laughed. "Not much of a retirement if you'll be running a business."

He waved that off. "It's renting shoes, not like it's hard. I'll hire some teenagers to run the place."

"I can't believe that's still bothering you."

"Well, what kind of town doesn't have a bowling alley? I mean, I ask you."

She laughed again and kissed him, soft, sweet and too brief. "It sounds wonderful, but we'd be bored in a month and missing real work. I don't need a beach or a guitar."

Ray let her draw him from the shop but made a note of which particular odd and ends shop it had been. He'd call later and find out whether they could ship the guitar to Chicago, because, sure, Stella didn't need a guitar. But he wanted to give her everything she didn't need.


End file.
